EDITING PROCESS:
Aug 31, 2006, 01:07 PM - Chapters 10 and 11 edited. I added some information at the start of 11, so it flowed better into the story. That, and it developed extremely minutely on relationships between Trigger and the group.
At the end of 10, at first I had Titania mad. Because she couldn't find Trigger. But that made her sound like she was on her period (which, I'm sure, she could control anyway). So, I changed it a little.
Sep 7, 2006, 09:38 PM - Chapter 12 became unbelieveably long. I put a little more detail into the fights, and made Soren uber.
It's a whole two pages on it's own.
Sep 8, 2006, 04:51 PM - Chapters 13 and 14 are finished.
I made Soren meaner. And I made Trigger first retort to Soren; which I guess could build a little on the "I HATE YOU" relationship they have. Mostly Soren hating Trigger.
ZOMG I'm gonna love reading over the whole backstory part. D
Chapter 10:
Trigger had never felt any better in his life. He lay in the grass, laughing, simply staring at the sky. Clouds passed and he didn't have any sense of how long it had been, until the light was blocked out by a shadow over him.
"Having fun?" The shadow said, and Trigger sat up. He stared into Muarim's eyes, as the laguz smiled back at him. He wondered if the laguz knew.
"Yeah well…" Trigger started. Muarim sat down in the grass beside him and sighed. Trigger stopped mid-sentence, and glanced over at Muarim. He gazed into the grass, and that gaze reminded him of their mother. There was a photo of her on the table, as if she hadn't realised she'd been photographed. She was looking out of one of the parlor windows, as if anything else in the world hadn't mattered other than what she was looking at.
At the moment, Muarim seemed to have the exact same look.
"It's too good to be true, isn't it? Beorc and laguz coming together?" Muarim asked, after a while. Trigger looked at him, and realised that Muarim knew nothing about being his brother.
"Well… I guess so. If this stops slavery, then it is too good to be true. I'm just happy that I'm still alive, and able to see it happen." Trigger replied. A silence ensued as the two simply stared at the lush fields of grass before them. A low, warm wind blew over the fields and made the grass fall into a wave motion. The two simply stared for a while, watching rabbits leap to and fro in the grass. Birds would swoop down, catch worms, and fly off. Insects buzzed around, realising that the area was now hospitable.
"Muarim I…" Trigger started. Muarim looked at him, surprised. I'm sorry for running." Trigger said. Muarim looked down at the young Trigger, who looked back up. "I didn't know what to do. Everything came back to me..." Trigger trailed off.
"Do to what?" Muarim asked, confused. Trigger chuckled, and Muarim looked at him for an answer. "I don't quite understand what you're saying. What came back to you? Memories?" Muarim asked. Trigger nodded.
"You see, I-" Trigger started. He took back his words and fell silent, and Muarim looked at him even more confused. "I..." Trigger repeated. It felt so awkward to have to be the one to tell him. Trigger sighed, and Muarim placed a hand on his back.
"HEY! MUARIM! TRIGGER! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" A female voice called to them from behind. Both looked behind them to see Titania on her horse, riding up to them. She slowed her horse down to a trot, and stopped above them.
"Sorry, it's my fault." Trigger said, standing up. Muarim stood beside him, and nodded. "But, you already know that, don't you?" Trigger said. Titania smiled, and got off her horse.
"Beautiful, isn't it? I still can't believe it's happening." Titania said. Trigger nodded, and turned around. The three of them took a good look at the beautiful scenery. "Oh!" Titania exclaimed, remembering something.
"Oh?" Muarim asked. Titania blushed, and smiled. "You had better get ready!" Titania said, excitedly. "We're going to be leaving the castle."
"Already?" Muarim asked. Titania nodded. Trigger looked worriedly at the paladin. They were leaving? He hadn't even gotten an answer yet!
"Ah.." Trigger started. "Where are you going?" Trigger asked. Titania looked at him surprisedly; as if she hadn't expected him to ask that question.
"Where are we going?" Titania said, repeating the question. "We're moving out, to attack a Daein base. But I don't know why you won't come with us." Titania said, smiling slightly. Trigger looked at Muarim, who nodded. The young branded held back his cry of joy, and simply turned back to Titania, smiling. "You'd better get outfitted as soon as possible. Ike says he'd like to see you in battle." She replied.
This time, Trigger let out an exclamation of joy. Muarim chuckled, and Titania shrugged.
"Welcome to the Greil Mercenaries." Titania said, offering a hand. Trigger pushed past it, and hugged her tightly. It caught her off-guard, but she smiled, and returned it. Trigger pushed back soon after, and smiled at her.
"I'm ready." Trigger said, and Titania nodded. She moved up on her horse, and let him ride behind her. Muarim transformed and let out a growl of acknowledgement. Titania kicked her horse off, and soon the three were on their way, full speed, back towards Begnion.
«Watch me, mom. Watch me fulfill my dream!» Trigger thought, as they sped towards the city.
Chapter 11:
The initial welcomings were more than open. Trigger quickly became friends with the younger members of the group. He found himself being more open than he'd ever been, and soon he found himself in front of Ike. They were already moving towards Daein, and Trigger walked beside him.
"Is there a problem?" Ike asked, seeing the young child run up to him. Trigger blushed.
"I was just wondering if..." Trigger trailed off. Ike looked at him confusedly, and noticed Trigger glanced back. Ike turned around, to see Rolf peeking out of line. The young archer had noticed that he'd been seen, and quickly fell back into place. Ike smiled.
"Sure." He said, not having to hear a question. Trigger smiled, and ran back. Ike looked forward. He had just been named Lord by Princess Elinicia, and now he marched with an army towards Daein.
---
The question that should have been asked earlier, was if they could share a tent. Usually, Rolf would prepare with his brothers, but Trigger had to set up a tent and prepare by himself. Rolf, becoming quick friends with Trigger, wanted to share the tent.
"Lookin' good!" Rolf said, from the entrance of their tent. He had received a new set of daggers from the convoy, as a welcoming gift. He replaced his worn knives with the daggers on his back and nodded. He even received a new set of clothes; considering his old ones were extremely torn and ragged. He refused to let go of his cloak, however.
He'd asked to keep dark colours, and the tailor hadn't asked a second question. Now, Trigger had brand new clothes; though nothing expensive. He was going to war, after all. A simple purple, sleeveless doublet and black pants. New straps for his daggers, which now went horizontally across his back; just above the waist. It felt odd to have them parallel; he'd been so used to them being criss-crossed, and the hils over his shoulders. But this did offer more movement.
"I'll be there behind you, so if you still feel uneasy don't forget it!" Rolf teased. Trigger smiled back, and prodded a finger at Rolf's chest.
"Are you sure? From what Mist tells me, you're the one who whines about seeing blood all the time." Trigger retorted, with a smug smile across his face.
"Wh-what? M-Mist told you?" Rolf said, taken aback. Trigger laughed and Rolf realised that he was blushing. He twiddled an arrow in his fingers nervously, and Trigger smiled.
"Hey, if you mess up I'll be there to make up for it, alright?" Trigger mused. Rolf stuck his tongue out at Trigger, and the two laughed. The flap opened more, and Trigger stopped laughing.
"Alright you two, enough jokes. Are we ready?" Ike said from behind Rolf. Rolf whirled around, blushing. Trigger chuckled, and instinctively placed a hand on his sides; to feel for his dagger hilts. Apparently, he'd already gotten used to it. Feeling them there, he exited. He took a stand beside Rolf, and they both saluted.
"Yes sir!" They chimed in together. Ike smiled. They let down their salutes, and Ike chuckled.
"Born to be soldiers, aren't you?" He joked. Trigger and Rolf blushed. "Oh, Muarim will be going with you, Trigger. I want someone to watch you to make sure you're doing alright." Ike said. Rolf looked at Trigger and chuckled.
"Ha ha! You need someone to watch you!" Rolf said. Trigger wanted to glare at Rolf, but realised that Ike had already done so. The Lord didn't mean anything by it; other than that he was about to address the archer.
"Rolf, Boyd is going to be your backup." Ike said, with a smile. Rolf looked at him, almost dejectedly, and Trigger laughed back at Rolf. Nothing needed to be said. Everyone knew that Boyd instantly became overprotective, and barely let Rolf get a shot off on the battlefield.
"Great. I might as well just not bring my bow at all." Rolf whined. Trigger smiled, and Ike did as well. He ruffled Rolf's hair, and stood up.
"Alright you two, get going. Crimea marches in 5 minutes!" Ike said. The two gave another salute, and ran off to their respective positions.
---
The company stood still at the bottom of a large hill. On top was a fort, the first step they'd have to overcome in order to make their way into Daein. Tanith; the newly joined Pegasus Knight flew high above them, and then descended.
"What's wrong, Tanith?" Ike asked when he saw she looked very troubled.
"From what I saw, there were many mages with long-range books. To make matters worse, there are archers as well; and not to mention the fact that the halls are so tight that we can barely fit two people side by side. It'll be a slow fight." She replied. Ike looked at her troubled, and then Soren came from behind.
"It seems that they also have wyvern units to our right. They'll make contact in 5 minutes. We need to split up." Soren said. Ike nodded. They had to have a group keep the bottom busy while another went through the battlement. He looked to the right; and could already see the faint outlines of the wyverns. They flew at a low level, and at a slow pace; but a determined one. There was little time.
"All right, everyone listen up! Rhys, Muarim, Trigger, Kieran and Mia, stay down here and defend the flank. You'll be facing wyvern units as well, so Soren will stay down here with his wind tomes. Everyone else, get ready to charge through the halls!" Ike said. Trigger looked to his right, and could see the wyvern units coming even closer. He stood closer to Muarim, who instinctively placed an arm around Trigger.
"Can you do this?" Muarim asked. Trigger nodded, and took a deep breath. Then the wyvern units started to pick up speed; and Ike ordered their movement as well. Trigger felt his brother's hand leave him. He looked up to see him place his headband on, and then transform. That headband was called a demi band, and would allow Muarim to stay transformed. Muarim and Kieran started to dash forward, and Mia looked at Trigger.
"We can do this, right? They're just dragons…" She said, somewhat scared. They had met earlier, and it seemed to be a totally different Mia from before. She was usually energetic and willing; but now fear had struck her.
"Calm down, Mia. What happened to the girl I met earlier, ready to fight anything?" Trigger joked. Mia glared at him.
"I'm not too uppity on the fact that I'm going to be fighting a dragon, and at the same time be dealing with the rider. Two on one isn't exactly fair." Mia said.
"But that's their weakness." Rhys said, matter-of-factly behind them. Trigger nodded, and Mia understood.
"Ready?" Trigger asked. He watched as Muarim and Kieran started to engage one of the wyvern units.
"No, but here goes anyway!" Mia said, running forward. She seemed to have regained her energy, at least. Trigger smiled, and followed her into the fray.
Chapter 12:
Muarim and Kieran kept themselves busy with one winged rider, as another one bypassed them and headed straight for Mia and Trigger. Mia ran past him, and leapt at the wyvern's rider. He raised a steel lance at her, and easily had more range than she did. He stabbed at her as she barely blocked in mid air, and pushed her back. She let out a scream, being pushed back. She angled her body to one side, caught the spear in her hand, and jerked it towards her. Her attempt at pulling the rider off failed; but it had gotten both of his hands off the reins.
Trigger ran at the wyvern, who eyed him intensely. Even if the wyvern and the rider were two different people; neither one were very well-off alone. The wyvern wasn't very smart, and the rider wasn't very powerful.
The wyvern went to bite at him and Trigger barely dodged to his right. It was almost as fast as he was. « Too bad it's only almost…» He thought, as he did a sideways cartwheel to his left, dodging the wyvern's tail swipe. The wyvern wasn't very smart, as it began to make its rider have to take its reins for a second to keep it still.
This opened up a chance for Mia. She was still holding onto the spear; which was only lightly clutched in the rider's hands. She pulled it again; making the rider instictively tighten his grip. Seeing that she wasn't going to fall, she somewhat pushed off with her gripped hand; flinging herself at the rider. He brought both of his hands up; barely blocking Mia's sword with his bracers.
Trigger smiled in the corner of his mouth, and ran forward at the beast. It lunged at him with its mouth gaping, but this time he rolled forward. The mouth of the beast grazed across his back; and he could feel the wyvern's hot breath against his skin after it had ripped his new clothes apart. He brought his dagger up into the beast's neck, and found the scales to be less resilient under the dragon. It didn't pierce easily, but his dagger did go in, and black blood seeped down his dagger and over his hands. He wanted to push his dagger in more; but the blood was thinner than normal blood; and he found his hands slipping on the grip. As it ran down his hand, he felt his stomach churn.
The wyvern shrieked, but Trigger knew that one hit wouldn't take it down. He drew his dagger out and rolled to his right to dodge claw swipes and the stamping of the rampaging wyvern. It was too erratic now; too hard to predict the movements. It beat its wings rapidly and Trigger hadn't seen it. They whooshed, and swept him off of his feet. He landed on the ground a few feet back with a thud, and only got a shaking of the head as he looked at Soren. He got up, but Soren put a hand in front of him.
"You're not ready." Soren said, opening his tome of magic. Trigger wanted to retort, but found the words sticking in his throat. He watched Soren's arm, and it moved back to the tome. It began to glow green and he raised his hand. The winds around them moved faster and faster, until they could be seen in the air as white blades. Trigger found his clothes whipping around, and his hair flipped around wildly. He brushed the hair out of his vision, and watched Soren.
Easily, Soren moved his hand in a series of motions, mumbling the incantation required. He pointed at the wyvern and the wind blades ripped through the wyvern easily, taking off wings first. They then circled around in mid-air, and came through the wyvern's body. They ripped through the scales as if they were simple blades of grass. Trigger watched as the beast's limbs were lopped off easily.The wyvern sagged down almost instantly once it was hit, almost instantaneously dead. Soren smirked, and raised his hand above him. A single blade rose in the air, then he brought his hand down sharply. The blade whizzed downwards, cutting through the beast's stomach. As the blade hit the ground, a wave of air pushed out; making Trigger fall again. Soren, however, stood unfazed.
The rider flew off, and moaned. He looked up to see Mia smiling, as she drove her sword through his chest. He let out a final gurgle, barely being able to register what had just happened. But it didn't matter; as he never would again. Mia took her sword out with a sharp tug, and sheathed it.
"Impressed?" Kieran said, riding up to Trigger. He let down his hand and heaved Trigger up. Trigger brushed himself off and shook his head, somewhat out of disbelief.
"It's just..." Trigger said, trailing off. He thought back to the blood, and shut his eyes. Kieran quickly understood, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen. Killing isn't easy; nor is it enjoyable. It's a lesson we'll all have to learn, and push past one time or another." Kieran said. Trigger looked up at him, and shook his head. "Don't believe me if you like; but coming from a Crimean Knight, this is the cold truth of war." Kieran said, proudly. He even placed a fist on his chest when he said the words 'Crimean Knight'. "What's wrong?" Kieran asked, seeing Trigger's face still showing uncertainty.
"It's so..." Trigger started. The word was on his lips, but he didn't dare speak it. Kieran pointed his spear at Trigger.
"If you can't accept it-" Kieran started, prodding his spear into Trigger's chest. "Then you're only a casualty." The cavalier added. Trigger's heart sank. Muarim approached, with his demi band off. He placed a firm grip on the spear, and moved it aside.
"Calm down , the fight's not over yet. Here come some more." Muarim said. He pointed at the forest they had walked through and they saw that three mounted soldiers came darting out. Each had a spear in hand, and Kieran smiled. Muarim put his band back on, and transformed once again, but Kieran placed his spear in front of the laguz.
"I can handle this!" Kieran said matter-of-factly, and he rushed forward. He charged at the first soldier, on his right, who jabbed his spear forward. Kieran bent to his left and the spear passed under his right arm. He then clasped the spear between his arm and his ribs, and jerked backwards; taking the spear from the rider. Though stupidly, the rider did not let go of the spear. With the sudden motion, the rider fell off and Kieran took the spear in his left hand; now dual wielding spears as his horse rode straight forward.
Seeing that the other two riders would soon pass him, Kieran urged his horse to turn around with his legs only. His horse wheeled in a narrow U-turn, and the other two riders started to catch up. The other two riders rushed at him at the same time, and jabbed for his horse's side. He brought both weapons down and blocked, and kept bringing his weapons around in a circle. Again, the enemy riders wouldn't let go of their weapons; and the circular motion was so awkard for them; until both of the soldiers were disarmed. As they lost their weapons, they also let their grips go on their horses. Kieran jutted the butt-end of the spears into the horse's sides, making them buck and throw off their riders.
The first soldier had gotten up but stared straight into the cold green eyes of Muarim. The laguz growled and the soldier scrambled back, finding a spear on the ground. He raised it at Muarim and jabbed forward, but Muarim leapt over him and tackled him to the ground. He clawed at the man's chest, leaving a wound. The soldier looked back up to see Muarim, then nothing.
Trigger looked onwards at the horrible sight of war. Even his own brother had to kill, and he would be expected to as well. He would have to. Could he really handle this?
Chapter 13:
Trigger didn't have time to think. A fallen rider was getting up, and unsheathed a spare sword. Trigger withdrew his daggers; and noticed they were still slick with the black blood. Looking at it, he instantly felt remorse, and disgust. The rider charged at him as he stared at his daggers; and he barely realised he was being attacked. Desperately, Trigger bent back, performing Mist had called a "bridge"; his hands reaching past his head, flat on the ground behind him, his back in an arc.
The soldier hadn't expected such a sudden movement, and found himself toppling over the young Mercenary. Trigger then pushed off with his legs; kicking the man over him. He heard the thud of the soldier's armor as the man was flung across the ground, and Trigger did a backwards cartwheel.
Trigger got up and ran to the fallen rider, who was just getting up. He brought his knee into the man's face; the horrible sound of cracking heard as he broke the man's nose. The soldier began to fall back, and Trigger took a step back as the man put a hand to his face in anger, and took his sword up again.
"I don't want to have to kill people…" Trigger pleaded. The soldier started to laugh, a low and throaty laugh. His blood entered his mouth, and he spat it to the ground.
"You should have known that when you got into this war!" The Daein soldier said, rushing at Trigger. Trigger ducked under a horizontal swipe meant for his head, and went to stab forward with his dagger. The soldier, however, started to bring his sword down. Trigger raised his arm instinctively; but realised that he wasn't clothed anymore. The blade cut across his arm easily, and he cringed in pain.
The soldier hadn't recovered as fast, however. Trigger used the opening to duck in; as the rider desperately made another swipe for Trigger's head. The young Mercenary stepped upwards; his dagger plunging into the man's chest. The soldier's heavy weight slumped on him and Trigger drew his dagger out. The soldier fell limply to the ground, and Trigger stood up. His arm hurt wildly, and the blood started to dry, along with the wyvern's blood.
"This is so horrible…" Trigger said. Rhys ran up to him, to check if he was alright. Mia went to take the other rider that Kieran had dismounted. Trigger felt his arm tingle warmly, as his wound began to close. Soren stepped up, shaking his head.
"Hurt already?" Soren coaxed. Trigger frowned.
"It's not as easy as you think. We're not all cold, heartless people like you." Trigger replied. He instantly felt remorseful about what he said. Soren smirked, not being affected by it. Rhys was about to speak up; when the mage cut him off.
"You're an idiot. You should have known that people would die. You shouldn't be here if you can't handle that." Soren said emotionless. Rhys simply stared at Soren, wide-eyed.
"I..." Trigger started. Mia had apparently finished; and walked up to Trigger. The young Branded looked over to her, and shook his head.
"You what? Expected that this could all be resolved by speech? What a laugh. This is war; people will fight. Sides will lose, and pay the price with their lives. Either become a casualty, help out, or don't participate at all." Soren said, bitingly. Trigger made a sound as if he'd been hit, and looked to the ground.
"You're horrible! How can you say that? He's just a child…" Mia said, angry at Soren. The mage smirked, and simply shook his head again.
"He does have a point though, Mia." Muarim said. He had once again removed his band and stood behind Trigger. "This is war. People die."
"Yeah but… you can't expect a child to be able to handle everything!" Mia said, not giving up. She was obviously fighting a losing battle, though. She looked to Rhys for support, but the priest shrugged.
"I can handle it. And I don't look much older than he does. He needs to suck it up." Soren added. He turned his back, and started to walk away.
"What? Soren you-" Mia retorted, starting to walk after him. A hand stopped her though, catching her arm.
"Stop." Trigger said. Mia looked back at him first with surprise, then with sadness as she knew what he was going to say. "Soren is right. I have to understand that I'm going to kill people. It's just... I begin to think about how they all have families, how wives and children expect them to come home, waiting. Then the message will come saying that their family member has died… and then… and then…" Trigger said, fading off.
"It's over." Ike said, meeting the group. Boyd stood behind him. "The fort has been taken and we even found-… Trigger? You alright?" Ike said, looking at Trigger. Something was obviously bothering he child. Then, Ike thought about whether or not he should call Trigger a child anymore, but found the thought stupid and pushed it aside. Trigger stared blankly, and nodded.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Congratulations on taking the fort." Trigger said. Ike frowned, and noticed that the newcomer had noticed. Trigger looked to the ground, and Ike attempted a smile.
"Well, you guys helped." Boyd said, looking around. Blood covered the ground and the fallen wyverns and soldiers only served to prove what they did.
"Yeah… Everyone helped but me..." Trigger said, sadly. He shook his head. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to wash up." Trigger said, walking off to camp.
"Is he alright?" Boyd asked. Mia looked back at Soren, then to Boyd. She frowned, and shrugged; then ran after Trigger.
"Trigger…" Muarim said, looking at the direction that Mia and Trigger headed in.
"You can talk to him later. For now, let those two sort things out and help us. It's time to bury the dead." Ike said, placing a hand on Muarim's shoulder. Muarim nodded.
"I don't see why we bury the opposing force's men too." Soren interrupted. Kieran glared at him. Rhys had also looked at the mage, but not with anger. He looked with eyes of sadness, as if he had hopes in Soren that were just crushed.
"All people deserve to be honoured. They did what they thought was right." Kieran said. "If I died fighting for Princess Elinicia, I'm sure that the opposing force would think the same."
"Are you kidding yourself? They're a bunch of power hungry-" Soren started.
"Can you stop it! Just…" Muarim interrupted. He clenched his hands into tight fists and sighed. Soren snorted and continued on, and Rhys shook his head.
The mage needed to learn tact. The child needed to learn the truth. Everyone here had something to learn, Rhys thought. He just hoped the lessons would be learnt earlier, rather than be learnt too late.
There were still some lessons that he noticed, that Trigger had yet to even begin to understand.
Chapter 14:
Trigger sat in front of the fire, staring blankly. Mia had left him alone, and he had assured her that he was fine. His tears had stopped, but the pain inside never went away. His arm had fully healed; the gash not much for Rhys to take care of. He had washed away all the blood, and yet...
He still felt unclean.
He needs to suck it up. Soren's voice resounded in his thoughts. « Yeah, maybe. » Trigger thought, sighing. He looked into the fire, and sighed. You're an idiot. You should have expected that people would die. Soren said again in his mind. « I guess… I guess that I just rushed in. » Trigger thought. This wasn't helping.
He stood up, and the fire cast his shadow behind him as a long, black trail. He gazed into the burning embers and took a nearby pot of water and doused the fire. The last embers struggled to keep alight, and then burnt out. The shadows crept over him, and he felt better. If only a little.
"Trigger?" A voice said in the darkness. It came from behind him. He didn't need to ask any questions about the voice's identity, either.
"Muarim… I just doused the fire. Did you want to talk?" Trigger asked, turning around. He couldn't make out where Muarim stood by sight, but he could tell from the sound of his voice that he wasn't far off.
"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to talk in my tent." Muarim said. He had a tone of urgency, and yet also patience. It was odd; it was as if he wanted to talk, and yet something about him felt reluctant. As if, he didn't want to pressure Trigger into speaking with him. The young Branded smiled at the thoughtfulness, and nodded; but realised that it wouldn't do any good in the dark.
"You sure? No one would be offended by my entrance?" Trigger asked.
"Offended? What are you talking about?" Muarim asked.
"Never mind. Let's go." Trigger said. He reached out in the dark and found Muarim's outstretched hand. It was warm and soft, and it trembled a bit. Was Muarim nervous? What did he want to talk about? He found himself being guided by the strong arms, and nearly tripped over one of the logs. Muarim had felt the movement, and quickly whirled around to catch Trigger.
Those powerful arms seemed to be no more powerful than Trigger's own lithe body, and it felt odd. Such power was radiated from Muarim, and yet it seemed out of place that he could be so gentle. Trigger righted himself, and Muarim led him around skillfully in the dark. They reached a stop; and Trigger nearly walked into Muarim. The laguz opened a flap, and the two stepped inside.
They entered the tent, and Trigger's sight was immediately illuminated by two lanterns placed methodically in the tent. Muarim beckoned Trigger over to a mass of blankets and pillows, and Trigger sat down. The pillows were comfortable and soft, and he found himself almost melting into them.
"What did you want to talk about?" Trigger asked, as Muarim had settled.
"I… I'm sorry for what they said earlier. I should have spoken up-" Muarim started. Trigger merely laughed, and Muarim looked at him with a bit of surprise. There was a bit of fear in his eyes as well; but Trigger couldn't place why they were there.
"Sorry for laughing. But you know, what they did was right. I headed in expecting to smack a few guys around, and it'd be done. I didn't even want to resort to violence, if I could have just spoken to them. I was so sure that every soldier didn't want to fight." Trigger said, looking around him. The tent was empty; where was everyone else? Had Muarim told them to leave just to speak to them? "I had to learn somehow, and I guess the shock treatment was the fastest, most obvious option. I'll have to thank Soren later." Trigger said.
"Thank him? I don't think he'll enjoy that." Muarim said, chuckling. Trigger laughed as well, and they both laughed for a good minute or so. "So, you seemed like you wanted to say something back at the campfire. What was it?" Muarim asked. Trigger immediately lost his happiness and looked around again; a look of sadness on his eyes. "Trigger?" Muarim asked.
He watched as the young child in front of him suddenly became adult-like. Not in physical stature, nor did he rapidly grow. But his demeanour, his gaze, and his whole aura just seemed to have matured at the last statement.
Was there something he wasn't telling him? Something that, maybe he wanted to hide?